Sydney Wilson (left) was shot and killed by a 13-year-old middle school student in Albuquerque, police said (Picture: KRQE)
A 13-year-old in New Mexico was arrested for shooting and killing a woman who confronted a group of teens driving her stolen car.
The deadly shooting took place around 8.45pm on Monday night outside a gas station in central Albuquerque.
Sydney Wilson, 23, left her home to search for her stolen car, a white Hyundai sedan, using the vehicle’s GPS tracking device.
She eventually located it outside a Smith’s grocery store and gas station. Wilson was on the phone with a friend when she saw the car, and told them that she was going to go confront the thieves.
According to police, several teens were inside the car drinking bottles of alcohol, which they later admitted to stealing from a local Walgreens.
As Wilson went to confront the teens, the driver of her stolen car ‘drove forward and struck a black Mustang that was in front of her,’ the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said.
The driver attempted to flee, but crashed into a curb causing the car’s air bags to deploy.
The teenager eventually identified as the shooter was sitting in the car’s passenger seat. He began to walk away from the crash scene with his friends.
According to witnesses, the 13-year-old then ‘retrieved a firearm from his waistband, pointed the gun at the white vehicle and fired 2-3 shots,’ the APD said. ‘At least one shot struck Wilson, killing her.’
After the teenager was identified by witnesses, he turned himself in the following morning.
‘We are outraged,’ District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a news release. ‘The investigation shows an 8th grader with a gun, goes on a joyride with his buddies, then ends up shooting and killing a 23-year-old woman because she asked what they were doing in her stolen car.’
‘You bet we’re going to try and keep this teen in custody,’ the district attorney said. ‘We are also going to look into how a 13 year-old got ahold of the gun used in his horrific crime.’
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Sydney Wilson was killed after searching for her stolen car using a GPS tracker.